Huang Residence

The Huang Residence was indeed easy to find. The land was so vast that most of Crane Lake belonged to him. Large flocks of mythical birds and spirits rose and circled right before his eyes, as if all the cranes and spirits on Crane Head Peak were raised in his back garden.

After all, they were salt merchants. They could easily give their sons tens or hundreds of thousands of Banknotes as a monthly allowance. They were no ordinary family. Buying a mountain and building a villa was a piece of cake for them.

Although the immortals of the Xuanmen sect always looked down on merchants as vulgar people, and considered money as worthless, they would treat any caravan they saw as a wild opportunity, turning them into walking human wallets to be robbed without hesitation, Zheng Zetian actually preferred dealing with these kinds of money-making bosses when he was traveling the world.

Firstly, he could genuinely afford to pay those wealthy people for his services. It wouldn't be like you'd spend half a day fighting and only to have them say, "I'm truly grateful to you, I'll repay you even if it means working like a slave," and then nothing more.

Secondly, those shrewd people who can amass a fortune naturally know the importance of making connections with powerful backers and recruiting helpers. They would not easily offend experts from Three Religions and Nine Schools. If you can make a friend of one of them, it is equivalent to making thousands of friends, and you will have channels to do many things.

Thirdly, money is meant to be spent, and only truly wealthy people know how to spend it wisely and acquire the resources for cultivation. Besides, spending money to avert disaster is even better than losing one's life, right?

Even if you spend all your money, it will come back again. At least in this world where life is as cheap as grass, those who are reluctant to spend money probably won't be able to hold onto much wealth.

"The arrival of Real Immortal is an honor to my humble abode! For a mere merchant like Huang Cao to have the opportunity to pay homage to True Cultivator is truly a blessing accumulated over many lifetimes. Please, take a seat!"

Upon seeing the Huang family patriarch approach to pay his respects, Real Person remained completely still, not even lifting her eyelids, and simply uttered a soft "hmm." Zheng Zetian then stepped forward to greet her.

"Uncle-Master, you're too kind. There's no reason for the host to come out to greet us. I am Zheng Zetian, a disciple of Ink Bamboo Mountain. I was sent by the Peak Master to invite a True Monarch from the Sanyuan Jizhenzong Sect of Tianfu Mountain. I apologize for disturbing you this time."

"Master, you have traveled a long way and are covered in dust. If it is convenient, please find a quiet and elegant place to cultivate in peace."

Huang Cao also realized that his junior brother was giving him a way out. He was well aware of the mannerisms of those Xuanmen people from the north, and he laughed heartily.

"Junior Brother Zheng, you are too kind. There is nothing wrong with it. The Peak Master and my revered master are already feasting at my Riverside Pavilion. The delicacies and wines are all prepared. Please join me at the table."

Boss Huang was very straightforward; after just a few words, he handed Zheng Zetian a red envelope.

Touching them reveals at least ten bills; the boss is generous.

Despite his unassuming appearance and slightly overweight physique, Huang Cao Boss Huang, is actually quite an interesting person. Zheng Zetian only chatted with him for a short while before realizing that he was a rare talent.

He claimed that in his youth he learned from the Mohists to be chivalrous and righteous, Fourth Department fighting for justice. He was skilled in swordsmanship, archery and horsemanship, and was proficient in both literature and martial arts. In his youth, he also befriended a group of wandering knights and caused trouble Fourth Department.

As he grew older, he settled down and once wanted to take the imperial Imperial Examination to become an official, hoping to serve the court, become a high-ranking official, and do something practical for the people. However, in the end, his talent was only good, not genius, and he could not compete with the children of those academies and noble families. He failed the examinations repeatedly and, in a fit of anger, went home to inherit the leadership of the Salt Gang.

When Boss Huang took charge of the Salt Gang, it was during the time when the Li Country's court was cracking down on Ink Bamboo Mountain the most. For a time, trade routes were cut off and various supplies were in short supply. So he secretly used the small roads for smuggling salt to transport goods to the mountainous area, and thus made many friends in Ink Bamboo Mountain.

Moreover, taking advantage of the increasingly turbulent times, he boldly engaged in various business ventures, amassing a fortune of hundreds of millions. Later, he rose to prominence by investing in the Railway Institute of the Juzi Group and acquiring shares in the Railway Bank. From then on, his wealth grew uncontrollably, snowballing into one of the wealthiest and most powerful tycoons not only in Lizhou, but probably throughout the entire Southern Country.

Of course, he wouldn't dare call himself the richest man in the world, as such a false title would attract unwanted attention. In conversation, he always said he was just lucky. There were many newly rich like him who rose to prominence alongside Ink Bamboo Mountain, and their influence was considerable. He even claimed his family's salt merchant business was just hard work, mainly earning a little money through bank investments later on. The real big winners, according to him, were those who ran factories on Heavenly Craft Peak of Ink Bamboo Mountain. He explained, "Just think about those worthless stones, wood, and iron blocks in the mountains; forged using mechanical methods, they can be sold for thousands or tens of thousands of taels of silver—it's incredibly profitable."

Of course, you can just take what businessmen say with a grain of salt. They're not going to actually write a book and tell you their secrets to getting rich and making a fortune, nor are they going to reveal all their wealth right away. They'll just exchange a few polite words.

However, the Huang family was truly wealthy. In a short time, they had prepared several large tables of exquisite delicacies and fine wines. As a result, even though the Real Immortal of Tianfu Mountain looked down on these mortals, they couldn't find anything wrong with this immortal Peach Banquet.

Moreover, Zheng Zetian had observed this throughout his journey into the manor. Most of the servants serving the Huang family were skilled in martial arts, including several experts at the Nascent Soul Realm. It seemed that Boss Huang had made many connections with martial arts figures and acquired numerous cultivation methods from Ink Bamboo Mountain. He probably also covered the cultivation expenses of his family's loyal followers and bodyguards. The Huang family's level of security would likely make it difficult for the company's demonic disciples to handle, which reassured him somewhat.

Of course, Boss Huang's own cultivation level isn't very high. It's likely that he spends most of his time and energy on business, inevitably neglecting his cultivation. Currently, he's directly using the External Alchemy Nascent Soul Realm of the Immortal Palace to build up his Nascent Soul realm through pills and elixirs. However, with the Huang family's wealth, they naturally have no shortage of hidden experts protecting them. Moreover, the External Alchemy isn't without potential. As long as you have money, resources, and channels, you can advance smoothly all the way. Now that Ink Bamboo Mountain is so rich in resources and Lou Guan's alchemy is renowned far and wide, it's highly likely that the Huang family is already collecting materials and entrusting Ink Bamboo Mountain to Divine Transformation external elixir for their patriarch.

They quickly entered the main hall. Master Shang had invited several cultivators from the nearby Crane Head Peak Ink Bamboo Mountain Cultivation Family to come over. Under the hospitality of the Huang family, the group exchanged ideas on the intricacies of cultivation and Qi refining, which resembled a gathering of immortals.

There's no need for a junior like Zheng Zetian to socialize with those powerful family heads; he can just sit at the children's table and eat. Of course, he has quite a few dietary restrictions. Since he hasn't mastered the Thunder Magic, he can't touch any meat or fish. Fortunately, Song Dayou probably already told the Huang family beforehand, so they specially prepared vegetarian dishes and dried fruit for him, ensuring he wasn't neglected.

During the meal, Zheng Zetian spotted someone familiar – Huang An, the Huang An from the Huang family, whom he had met once before. Wasn't this the kind of person the immortals of the Xuanmen sect disdained sharing a room with mortals? This person, who had some cultivation, had also come over to help serve tea and water.

So Zheng Zetian beckoned him over and inquired about the Huang family's affairs.

Upon hearing that the young master was his classmate, and having just witnessed the master and the boy chatting amiably, Huang An naturally dared not conceal the truth.

Sure enough, they had also come by train from Lou Guan City. Huang Jing, the young master of the Huang family, was actually fine, but his mother was too anxious and made a big fuss. After returning home, they had someone examine him, gave him some medicinal soup, and he fell asleep after the pain subsided. He was perfectly fine. With female relatives taking care of him, his pageboy Huang An went to the front to help serve the dishes.

If things had unfolded as they did in the first instance, the five members of the Huang family should have died on the train and had their bodies taken over. However, they managed to get off the train alive this time, meaning Lu Qi didn't take action. Was it his telegram that had the desired effect...?

At this moment, Zheng Zetian saw Boss Huang leading two young men to pay their respects to Xuanmen Real Person and Master Shang group of Zhenren. This time, with the presence of Ink Bamboo Mountain cultivators, and given the grandness of the immortal banquet hosted by the Huang family, Real Person softened his expression and began to befriend the Huang family.

Zheng Zetian glanced at them from afar, then suddenly grabbed Huang An and asked, "Who are those two?"

"Oh, it's the eldest young master Huang Ru and the second young master Huang Wu. Those two are the master's sons from his previous marriage, and they're now doing business with him..."

What kind of business do you do?

"What kind of business..." Huang An scratched his head. "The eldest young master helps with the affairs of the banking and chamber of commerce, and the second young master is still running freight for the salt merchants."

Zheng Zetian nodded, understanding the situation.

That second young master, Huang Wu, had a gold-inlaid jade pendant around his waist; he was clearly someone who worked for the company. It seems the company has also set its sights on the Huang family's vast fortune.

"Senior brother, try this fish, it's incredibly delicious."

Ling Juan came to chat again, trying to feed Lingbao with fish meat picked up with her chopsticks, which almost made Ling Bao furious.

"No need, I can't eat meat while practicing martial arts... Hmm, hmm?? Isn't this a pufferfish? Isn't this fish poisonous!?"

Zheng Zetian was preoccupied with something, and when he turned his head to take a closer look at the vegetables, he almost jumped up.

Huang An quickly explained,

"Daozi is indeed knowledgeable and experienced. This is the fish that the Grand Master likes the most. Because the Grand Master is exceptionally gifted and immune to all poisons, he has a particular fondness for this fish. Everyone who sees it tries to imitate him and finds that this fish is indeed incredibly delicious. However, it is inevitable that some people will get poisoned."

Therefore, in order to popularize this delicacy and share the joy with everyone, the Grand Master specially researched a method for preparing and killing fish, called the "Pufferfish Killing Knife Technique." The chefs hired by our Huang family are the most professional, and naturally they have mastered this superior knife skill. In addition, Lou Guan specially prepared Antidote Pill just in case. The formula for the pill was also specially deduced and formulated by the Grand Master, specifically to treat pufferfish poisoning. This fresh fish is only boiled in the Spiritual Spring water, without adding any oil or grease, but a little bit won't hurt."

... The tycoon really has a lot of free time...

Ling Juan was already feeding him with "Ah..." so Zheng Zetian couldn't refuse anymore. He took a bite and found it did have some flavor.

"Senior brother, this jade dumpling is delicious! Here, I'll take a bite, you take a bite... Ah..."

Ling Chan was not to be outdone, and immediately came to cause trouble, grabbing the dumpling in her mouth and poking at him.

"Ugh! I'm so angry! Why are you all always flirting with him?! Zheng Zetian! Don't you have hands?!"

Ling Bao caused a ruckus, overturning all the bowls and plates, drawing everyone's attention.

"Junior brother! What are you doing?!" "Apologize to your senior brother right now!"

Ling Chan and Ling Juan were thoroughly exasperated. This brat, relying on his master's favor, enjoyed all the magical treasures, secret manuals, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures all by himself. Everyone had to give in to him, and when they asked him about Daoist magic, he couldn't give a coherent explanation. He even kept it a secret, saying that his master had ordered that it couldn't be passed on to outsiders. Back in their sect, many sisters were waiting to fill the vacancies of these two attendant True Lords, so they had no choice but to swallow their anger and indulge him. Now that they had finally come to Ink Bamboo Mountain, he was still getting jealous and causing trouble. He was truly utterly annoying!

Taking advantage of the commotion, Zheng Zetian discreetly spat out the fish in his mouth. After all, breaking the rules was a secret known only to heaven, earth, you, and me; if you greedily eat a piece of meat, the thunder might not sound, so it wasn't worth it. However, when he saw Huang Wu looking in their direction, a plan suddenly formed in his mind.

"What, Junior Brother, are you going to smear me with that dog collar again? Then let's have a contest. I'll stand here and let you smear me. Let everyone see the skills of Tianfu Mountain and liven things up."

"Senior brother!" "No!"

"Haha! Good! Everyone heard that! You said it yourself! Hey! Let me show you the power of my Xuanmen's secret treasure!"

Zheng Zetian completely ignored him, only bowing to the elders and saying, "Please grant me permission, Master."

Song Dayou frowned, "How can this be...?"

Real Person squinted at Ling Bao, then smiled and returned the greeting to Song Dayou.

"The juniors are just playing around. Why not let the two disciples test their skills and gain some experience?"

Seeing his words, Master Shang spoke up, "Junior Brother, with everyone watching, nothing serious will happen. Comparing the two won't hurt."

Song Dayou knew this was no joke among juniors; it was now a contest of skill between Ink Bamboo Mountain and Tianfu Mountain. But he figured Zheng Zetian always had his own ideas and had even suppressed his cultivation level, so it shouldn't be a big problem. He nodded and said...

"In that case, let's have a match, but stop when we've reached a point, so as not to damage the harmony between our two families."

"It's Master."

Ling Bao couldn't contain himself any longer. He jumped into an open area, took off the golden ring around his neck, and flipped it in his hand. The ring flashed and shot out streaks of golden fire in mid-air, dazzling the eyes. In the blink of an eye, it expanded to the size of a hula hoop, clearly revealing a long string of runes and characters on the golden ring.

"Hey! This treasure was forged by my Tianfu Mountain, the ultimate King Kong Bracelet of Heaven and Earth! Behold this treasure!"

Ling Bao made a hand gesture, silently chanted an incantation, swung his arm, and threw the golden ring. A flash of golden light, it flew past Zheng Zetian's head, straight to a jade and gem coral tree the size of a miniature mountain behind him, circled around three times, and then flew back into Ling Bao's hand. The coral tree, which was two or three zhang tall, had been cut into pieces and collapsed with a crash, its jewels and fragments scattered all over the ground.

"Ahhh!" "This...!"

The crowd and guests gasped in surprise.

Ling Bao smugly said, "Hmph! Scared now!"

The Master Shang's face immediately fell. He had kindly invited them to a banquet, but they had destroyed his precious tree. Wasn't that a bit disrespectful?

Real Person also caught his breath, glanced at Ling Bao expressionlessly, and then apologized profusely.

"Fellow Daoist Huang, your unworthy disciple has offended you..."

Huang Cao, however, remained unfazed, smiling and waving his hand.

"Haha, it's nothing, it's just a potted plant for decoration, True Lord, you don't need to worry about it. But it is a treasure of the Xuanmen, indeed powerful, it has truly broadened my horizons, haha."

Seeing that the host didn't mind, the group of cultivators from Ink Bamboo Mountain didn't dare to make a scene, but their eyes had already turned cold.

Zheng Zetian looked helplessly at the still smug Ling Bao in front of him, and waved to him.

"Alright, come at me now. Aim carefully, and don't smash other people's property."

"You! Hmph! How dare you be so reckless! Fine! I'll grant your wish!"

Ling Bao was furious. He made hand seals and chanted incantations, summoning his golden ring magic weapon to smash it directly at Zheng Zetian's head!

Seeing the golden ring about to smash into his face, Zheng Zetian remained calm. His hands flashed with green lightning, and he unleashed a burst of green thunder, which actually clashed with the precious light, holding the King Kong Bracelet in front of him, preventing it from falling.

"Huh? This, this..."

Ling Bao had never seen anything like this before. His golden ring was Ling Bao passed down from his master, a sixth-grade Golden Core cultivator. It was always capable of splitting mountains and shattering jade, invincible in everything. How could it not fall down? He could only keep chanting incantations, hoping the golden ring would smash down.

"Huh?" Even Real Person couldn't help but open her beautiful eyes wide and stare intently at Zheng Zetian.

Of all those present, she was probably the one who knew best what Zheng Zetian had done.

The moment the magic weapon fell, he injected lightning into its interior, simultaneously reversing the flow of the Treasure Control Sutra to seize control of the golden circle!

This method is far superior to simply using protective energy and divine light to withstand attacks from magical treasures. To put it more clearly, it's a variation of the Gold-Avoiding Technique.

Impact-type magical artifacts, especially flying swords, are incredibly powerful, capable of chasing people for thousands of miles and even beheading them. However, only those with superior escape techniques like the Gold-Avoiding Technique and stronger Divine Sense power can completely deflect incoming flying swords with the Gold-Avoiding Technique, remaining unharmed even if enveloped in Sword Light.

Zheng Zetian wasn't just avoiding metal; he also used lightning to instantly redirect his Divine Sense and Dao power into the interior of the Extreme True Universe King Kong Bracelet magic treasure! He usurped the seal and seized control of the treasure! This is something only a top-tier weapon-refining master could do! Moreover, how could he be familiar with the Extreme Truth Sect's treasure-refining secrets!

In that brief moment, amidst the dazzling golden light and thunderous roar, Zheng Zetian actually reached out and grasped the golden ring! With a flick of his wrist, he erased the Ling Bao imprint that the Divine Sense artifact had placed on it, snatching the artifact away from his hand!